This Is How It Works

Apply to Become A Backyard Agriculture Facilitating Partner

Apply to Become A Backyard Agriculture Cooperative

The Backyard Agriculture Cooperative Process

The process begins with individual supporters who will participate in coordination with a Donor/Investor Organization.  This Donor/Investor Organization might be a club, a civic organization, church or para church organization.  The individual donor will participate with the Donor/Investor Organization in activities it directs and sponsors.  They may hold fundraising events or simply solicit donations from members and others.  If they are in  the United States and are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity, the organization may give other individual donors notices indicating the tax deductible status of their gifts.  

The money that the Donor/Investor Organization collects will be used to sponsor a specific Backyard Agriculture Project. It will be forwarded directly to a Backyard Agriculture Facilitating Partner (see below) via an e Banking interface to this website.

Depending on the amount collected, these funds will used to sponsor a specific Backyard Agriculture Project family, a series of Backyard Agriculture families, an entire local Backyard Agriculture Cooperative (15 families) or even a series of Backyard Agriculture Projects.  The Donor/Investor Organization will select someone from their organization as a liaison with their specific Backyard Agriculture Project.  That Investor Liaison will be the contact person for the project.  The Liaison will receive information about the Project and will pass it along to the Investor Organization and individual participating with them.

If the communication documents provided by Help For The Hungry are used, reports will be published on this website for dissemination to the donor base and as an encouragement to future project.

Backyard Agriculture Terms

Donor/Investors -- Individuals who support a Backyard Agriculture Project by giving or raising money through the Investor Organization

Give: Donation, or time and energy to Donor/Investor Organization

Get:   Tax deductibility notice (if Donor/Investor Organization is 501(c)(3))

Donor/Investor Organization -- An organization (typically a church or  club or civic organization) that sponsors a Backyard Agriculture Project through the efforts of its members

Give: Investment funds to Backyard Agriculture Facilitating Partners dedicated to specific Backyard Agriculture Projects

Get:  Receipt for money received by Backyard Agriculture Facilitating Partners

Documents showing purchase of materials for specific Backyard Agriculture Project

Reports from families on progress of Project

Reports of sales of eggs, chickens, pigs, produce and fertilizer

Notice on repayment of loans by families to Backyard Agriculture Facilitating Partners

Notice on repayment of loans by Backyard Agriculture Facilitating Partners to Donor/Investor Organization

Champion -- An advocate for the Backyard Agriculture Project associated with the Donor/Investor Organization and/or associated with a Backyard Agriculture Facilitating Partner.  He or she organizes and publicizes the Backyard Agriculture Project, coordinates fundraising and acts as a liaison with Help For The Hungry and with the Backyard Agriculture Cooperative that is being funded.

Give: (See Donor/Investor Organization above)

Get:  (See Donor/Investor Organization above)

Help For The Hungry -- The organization that developed the Backyard Agriculture System for sustainable micro-agriculture and supports those Backyard Agriculture Projects using the technology it developed.  Help For The Hungry links Donor/Investor Organizations with Backyard Agriculture Facilitating Partner and Backyard Agriculture Cooperatives that they may invest in

Give:  Training, educational materials, on site consulting

Get:   Information is free, but travel and consulting help may require funding from individual Backyard Agriculture Project resources

 (Pass along all information and documentation from Donor/Investor Organization, see above)

Backyard Agriculture Facilitating Partner -- An organization based in the same community as the Backyard Agriculture Cooperative that acts as the supervising, coordinating and micro-lending agent to the Backyard Agriculture Cooperative

Give: Vision, inspiration and training

Loans to Backyard Agriculture Cooperative Families

At minimum, monthly visits to the project

Title for Backyard Agriculture (at final payment for loan)

Receipts for payments of loans from Backyard Agriculture Cooperative Families

Get:  Opportunities to directly help the hungry

Contracts for loans from Backyard Agriculture Cooperative Families

Payments of loans from Backyard Agriculture Cooperative Families

Backyard Agriculture Cooperative -- An association of families participating in a Backyard Agriculture Project along with local Partner Organization.  The member families own and control the co-op which is operated by and for them on a cost basis.  The Cooperative will typically contract with a Project Manager who will oversee the Project as a whole, assisting the member families in constructing and operating their Backyard Agricultures as well as personally building and operating the Pig Dome finishing house and overseeing the marketing of the produce

Give: Supervision and assistance to Backyard Agriculture Families

Transfer payments on loans from Backyard Agriculture Families to Backyard Agriculture Facilitating Partner

Get:  Collect payments on loans from Backyard Agriculture Families

Regular proof of Backyard Agriculture assets (Backyard Agricultures, feed, animals) from Families

Regular reports on production (eggs, chickens, fertilizer, vegetables) from Families

Backyard Agriculture Partner Families --  The families that get loans to build and operate individual Backyard Agricultures.  They are, as a group, also the democratic owners of the Backyard Agriculture Cooperative.

Give: Contract for loan to Backyard Agriculture Cooperative

Payments on loan to Backyard Agriculture Cooperative

Regular proof of Backyard Agriculture assets (Backyard Agricultures, feed, animals) to Backyard Agriculture Cooperative

Regular reports on production (eggs, chickens, fertilizer, vegetables) to Backyard Agriculture Cooperative

Get:  Receipt for loan payments

Title for Backyard Agriculture (at final payment for loan)